A HAMPSHIRE taxi driver suffered agonising injuries when he was punched in the face by an angry passenger.

The 40-year-old was knocked unconscious during the vicious assault outside a house in Avenue Road, Southampton.

Police said the attacker had been collected from the address about 1.30am on Saturday.

Once in the cab, the man, who was talking on a mobile phone, had a heated argument with what appeared to be his girlfriend and became extremely angry.

Within minutes, he asked the driver to take him back to Avenue Road. When the passenger got out, he leaned in through the open cab window and punched the driver in the face and ran off.

The victim, who is from Chandler's Ford, suffered a broken nose, fractured cheekbone and bruised eye.

PC Darren English said: "When the taxi driver picked the man up, he had a glass of wine in his hand, so it is likely that he had been at a party in the area.''

The attacker was described as white, 5ft 10in, in his mid twenties, with short dark hair and an average build. He was wearing a grey jumper and black trousers.